Bourbon & Bones

On a funny corner in Frelard where a crepe shop used to sit, Bourbon & Bones is exactly the cheerful, warm, decently priced barbecue shack you’d hope for, plus a little more. They take what could be an everyday fried-chicken-and-stiff-drinks date night and elevate it, with a deli case so full of succulent hot meat that it’s almost impossible to choose, and sides so good they are never an afterthought—grits, beans, salty-creamy mac and cheese. Friendly, low-key service and great cocktails turn it into a second-living-room kind of joint, a place you turn into a habit instead of a destination. (Bourbon & Bones, 4350 Leary Way NW, 582-2241, 5 pm–midnight)